The present invention relates to a coin lock for a trolley intended for attachment to the coin lock of a further, trolley, e.g. at a trolley collection point.
In a known coin lock a casing is provided with a coin slide and with a coupling member arranged so as to be movable at an angle to each other. Locking members arranged inside the casing act upon the coin slide and the coupling member and, when the coin slide containing a coin is inserted into the casing, allow the coupling member to be released and the coin slide to be locked so as to prevent removal of the coin. When the released coupling member is re-inserted into the coin lock casing it moves a locking member in the direction of sliding of the coupling member to release the coin slide and free the coin; withdrawal of the coin slide locks the coupling member in the casing.
Coin locks of this type have become widespread, and they are frequently used on shopping trolleys in self-service stores. The shopping trolleys, nested in rows and attached to one another, are available to the customer on payment of a deposit. If the customer wishes to remove the last trolley of a row of nested shopping trolleys, he must insert a coin into the coin lock mounted on the shopping trolley. This then releases the connection in the form of a flexible coupling member between the last trolley and the preceding trolley, and the last trolley can be removed. When the customer brings the shopping trolley back again to one of the return positions provided, he pushes it into a trolley already there, he then attaches it to that trolley by inserting the coupling member on that trolley into the opening in the coin lock of his returned trolley, and retrieves his inserted coin again.
A coin lock of this type is described, for example, in European Patent Specification 0 070 997 and its equivalent U.S. Pat. No. 4,635,782. Although this coin lock has proved successful, it does have a significant disadvantage in that it is relatively large. When this coin lock is attached to the handle of a shopping trolley, this can cause an obstruction for a small child sitting in a child's seat fitted to the shopping trolley near the handle. The relatively large shape of this coin lock is due to the fact that the coin slide has a relatively long bar fixed thereto, and in the coupling position of the coin lock the coupling member has to engage an additional stationary part in the casing in order to lock the coin slide. The length of the bar corresponds approximately to the length of a coin-receiving portion in the coin slide, and a space required for the insertion or withdrawal of the coupling member is formed between the coin-receiving portion and the free end of the bar. In addition, there is a further space between the end of the coin slide in the casing and an opposing casing wall in which a compression spring acting upon the coin slide is provided for ejection thereof. The length of the coin slide and the further space for receiving the compression spring determines the minimum structural size of this coin lock.